How to download MP3 from YouTube with VLC?

If at any time you want to extract the audio from a video to listen to it later or use it in any other way, you will be interested in knowing cHow to download MP3 from YouTube with VLCWe say YouTube because it is the number one video platform in the world, and we talk about VLC because it is one of the best media players on the market.

That's why in this post we are going to focus on explaining how to carry out this operation, but not before mentioning the advantages it can bring us and the reasons why VLC is our best option.

But before continuing, it is necessary to warn that the procedure to extract an audio should only be used if the following are respected at all times: Copyright and content usage policies from YouTube.

Reasons to download MP3 from YouTube

Downloading MP3 from YouTube with VLC can be very useful for various purposes. Here is a short list of the main reasons to do so:

• Have audio even without connection. In order to listen to music, podcast or any other content without having an Internet connection. During a plane trip, for example.
• mobile data saver, for the same reasons indicated in the previous point.
• Increase battery life, since it avoids the consumption that comes with playing videos on YouTube. If we are only interested in audio, this is a good option.
• Study and learningWhen it comes to educational material (lessons, lectures, etc.) it is a good idea to download the audio in order to listen to and review the material anywhere.
• Avoid ad interruptions. Downloaded audios do not include YouTube ads, allowing us to enjoy a continuous, distraction-free experience.
• More editing and customization facilities. 

Download MP3 from YouTube step by step

Let's see below how to perform this procedure with the help of VLC. Obviously, first of all it will be necessary download and install this program on our computer. This is the official site where we can do it: VLC Media Player.

Once the VLC editing software is installed on our computer, these are the steps to follow, which we classify into three different phases:

Copy YouTube link and open it in VLC

1. Firstly, Let's go to YouTube and look for the video whose audio we want to download.
2. After We copy the URL of the video from the browser's address bar.
3. Now, We start VLC Media Player on our computer.
4. In the menu that appears at the top of the screen, we click on "Half".
5. Then we select "Open network location."
6. Now we paste the YouTube video URL into the text field and click on "Play".

Get the streaming URL and download it

1. When the video is playing, we use the pause button.
2. Then we go back to the tab again. "Half" and in the menu we select «Codec information».
3. Here, at the bottom of the window, there is a field called Location, which contains the direct URL of the video, which we must copy.
4. The next step is to Open the browser and paste the URL that we copied earlier into a new tab.
5. When the video starts playing, we right click on it and select "Save video as...". This way we will be able to download it and save it in MP4 format on our computer.

Convert video to MP3

1. To complete the process, we must return to VLC and select "Half".
2. Then we click on "Convert/Save".
3. There we choose the option "Add" and we select the video file that we have downloaded.
4. Then we click on «Convert / Save», an option that we find at the bottom of the screen.
5. Now, in the field of Profile, Select «Audio-MP3».
6. With option "To explore", we choose a location and name for the output file.
7. To finish, we click on "Start". After this, VLC will begin the conversion process, generating an MP3 file with the audio from the YouTube video.

Depending on the length of the video, the process of downloading MP3 from YouTube with VLC can take more or less time. On the other hand, it must be taken into account that this is a method that only allows us to extract audio, nothing else. If we want to extract the metadata, it will be necessary to use another type of software.

Why use VLC?

With so many options available, why download MP3 from YouTube with VLC? To start with, we will say that it is a free and free software, accessible to any user. And without advertising!

In addition to this, VLC Media Player offers Compatibility with most operating systems: Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, iOS… And even some Smart TV systems. It should also be noted that Supports almost all formats known audio and video.

Finally, it is worth highlighting its enormous range of advanced functions, of which downloading MP3 from YouTube with VLC is just one example.